Journal of Geosciences, 63 (2018), 299–315 DOI: 10.3190/jgeosci.275 Original paper The Stolpen Volcano in the Lausitz Volcanic Field (East Germany) – volcanological, petrographic and geochemical investigations at the type locality of basalt Olaf TIeTz1*, Jörg Büchner1, Manuel Lapp2, Thomas SchOLLe3 1 Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Am Museum 1, 02826 Görlitz, Germany; [email protected] 2 Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG), Halsbrücker Straße 31a, 09599 Freiberg, Germany 3 Engineering Office, Kirschallee 1, 01833 Stolpen, Germany * Corresponding author The ~30 Ma Stolpen Volcano near Dresden (Saxony) is situated at the western margin of the Lausitz Volcanic Field. It forms a small isolated basaltic hill, the famous Stolpen Castle Hill, penetrating the granodioritic basement of the Lausitz Block and is worldwide the type locality for the term ‘basalt’, as coined by Agricola (1546). The volcano has always been interpreted as subvolcanic crypto- or lava dome. New geological mapping, dip measurements of the basaltic columnar jointing and the first evidence of scoria for the Stolpen Volcano allow for a new interpretation of the volcanic edifices. On this basis the structure is best described as a maar crater volcano filled by a 110 m thick basanitic lava lake. According to genetic classification, it is a complex monogenetic volcano formed in three phases: (1) a phreatomagmatic diatreme phase with a maar crater, (2) a scoria cone phase with the final basanitic lava lake filling, and (3) a post-volcanic phase with neotectonic uplift, denudation and exposure of a basaltic hill since c. 1.3 Ma. The volcano reconstruction indicates an ongoing change in the eruption style from phreatomagmatic (phase 1) to eruptive and, finally, effusive processes (phase 2) without significant gaps between the eruption episodes. The only difference appears to be caused by a variable water supply during the magma ascent and volcanic eruption. New mineralogical (QAPF) and geochemical (TAS) investigations of the Stolpen lava samples reveal that the Stolpen Hill is not built by a basalt, but basanite trending toward a nephelinite, following the current nomenclature. Microscopic analyses also provide evidence of magma mingling, such as nephelinite melt enclaves, and show local lava contamination by the country-rock granodiorite, also supported by the presence of quartz xenocrysts. The combined field observations, petrography and geochemical data indicate overall heterogeneity of the Stolpen lava. Therefore, the Stolpen Castle Hill is not – in a scientific sense – a suitable type locality for either basalt or basanite. However, the outcropping volcanic rocks as well as their scientific and historical importance undoubtedly give relevance to Stolpen as a type locality for basaltic volcanic rocks in a broader sense. Keywords: maar-diatreme volcano, basanite, monogenetic volcanism, Cenozoic landscape evolution, basalt locus typicus, magma mingling Received: 3 March 2018; accepted: 6 December 2018; handling editor: T. Magna The online version of this article (doi: 10.3190/jgeosci. 275) contains supplementary electronic material. 1. Introduction 1.5 m large granodiorite xenoliths in the basaltic lava. Additionally, Klemm (1890) compiled the first detailed The Stolpen Castle Hill is renowned worldwide for being geological map of the Stolpen Volcano. Geinitz (1882) the type locality of the rock ‘basalt’ following the first and Klemm (1890, 1892) interpreted the Stolpen Hill as historical note by Agricola (1546). For this reason, the a volcanic plug in the granodiorite basement with broad locality was chosen as the German national geotope in SW–NE oriented feeder dyke and a mushroom-like top. 2006 (Goth and Suhr 2007). The long history of geologi- One notable outcrop is the castle well with a depth of cal research at the Stolpen Volcano is outlined in more 84.4 m (Büchner et al. 2017). The well is situated at detail in Büchner et al. (2017) and the editorial of this the highest point of the hill and penetrates exclusively issue (Tietz and Büchner 2018). Also important for the basaltic lithology, reaching more than 50 m below present study are the works of Geinitz (1882), Klemm the level of the surrounding granodiorite country rock (1890, 1892), August Herrmann Eulitz (in Theile 1884) (Klemm 1892). A historical line drawing made by and Koch et al. (1983). In their work, Geinitz (1882) and the mine foreman August Herrmann Eulitz illustrates the Klemm (1890, 1892) gave information on the orientation orientation of the basaltic columns over the entire length of basaltic columnar joints and described up to 1 m3 or of the well (Theile 1884). The precise drawing shows www.jgeosci.org Olaf Tietz, Jörg Büchner, Manuel Lapp, Thomas Scholle that the columnar jointing constantly dips steeply towards 2. Geological setting SSE, but undergoes a slight change in inclination. While at the top dipping angles start at 75°, they gradually rotate The Stolpen Volcano (Saxony) occurs at the westernmost to 72° in the middle and 60° at the base of the well. margin of the Lausitz Volcanic Field (Büchner et al. 2015) Koch et al. (1983) published a wealth of new fabric belonging the Cenozoic Central European Volcanic Prov- measurements and geomagnetic mapping data, interpret- ince (Fig. 1). Today the volcano represents a conspicuous ing the Stolpen Volcano as a crypto- or lava dome (“Stau- isolated peak 25 km east of Dresden in an otherwise rolling kuppe” or “Quellkuppe”), implying a broadly subvolcanic landscape, composed of granodiorite. A famous medieval origin. At the time this interpretation was a very common castle sits atop the hill that is elevated 40–90 m above the model for basaltic volcanoes and was supported by the surroundings (Fig. 2). The basement consists of a Cado- significantly lowered position of the basaltic lava body mian two-mica granodiorite with an age of c. 540–530 Ma compared to the level of the granodiorite country rock (Tikhomirova 2002). The age of the Stolpen basalt was observed in the Stolpen Castle well. Additionally, Koch et determined at 25.3 ± 0.5 Ma by K–Ar dating (Pfeiffer et al. al. (1983) presented four whole-rock geochemical analy- 1984), but Ar–Ar age determinations in the Lausitz Volcanic ses and a detailed petrographic thin section description. Field suggest an older age of c. 30 Ma (Büchner et al. 2015). According to these microscopic data, the Stolpen lava Typical rocks of the Lausitz Volcanic Field are primitive is olivine–augite basalt with minor nepheline and glass “basalts” (basanite, tephrite and nephelinite) as well as dif- because clinopyroxene and plagioclase dominate over ferentiated rocks (phonolite and trachyte). Primitive magmas olivine. Nepheline and volcanic glass constitute less than typically produced scoria cone volcanoes or, less commonly, 5 vol. % of the groundmass. maar-diatreme volcanoes, whereas evolved rock lithologies Scholle (1994–2017) has documented over 90 differ- formed crypto- or lava domes. At present, large parts of the ent local outcrops in the Stolpen Castle and town area. volcanic edifice are eroded and only remnants of the mas- In total, 42 street and house excavation pits, 29 house sive lava rocks, such as lava lakes, lava flows, dykes, plugs basements with outcropping bedrock and 23 rock cliffs, and domes are mainly found as hills and ridges. some of which were only temporarily visible, situated on The investigated area is a part of the Lausitz Block, private land and/or built into houses, streets and walls, a block-fault mountain and uplift area which dates back were documented. This outcrop collection forms an im- to ~92 Ma (Janetschke et al. 2015). The main uplift took portant basis for the present study. The aim of the study place between 85 and 50 Ma, what caused denudation of is to verify previous data and, with the help of new dating c. 3,000–3,500 m (Lange et al. 2008; see also Hofmann work, to develop a modern reconstruction of the Stolpen et al. 2018). Tietz and Büchner (2015) used volcanic Volcano. Based on this reconstruction, the post-volcanic edifices and related Quaternary deposits to determine the landscape evolution is described. younger uplift und denudation history of the Lausitz Block, demonstrating an uplift of up to 100 m (2–3 mm/kyr) since the Lausitz Volcanic Field Main faults volcanism at 30 Ma. These neo- Cenozoic volcanic rocks tectonic movements started at PL Lausitz Block 1.3 Ma with a climax at 320 ka, D following the Elsterian Glacia- CZ tion (e.g., Wenger et al. 2017). PL Bautzen 3. Methods and Görlitz materials Dresden Zgorzelec Stolpen Volcano 3.1. Volcanology The remnants of the Stolpen Volcano are only visible in a N D Zittau few places. Large areas are Fig. 1 Overview of the Lausitz Block Děčín Liberec and extent of the Lausitz Volcanic Field with the position of the Stolpen České Středohoří Volcano (modified from Büchner et Volcanic Complex 010 20 km CZ al. 2015). 300 The Stolpen Volcano in the Lausitz Volcanic Field (East Germany) Mineral classification was supported by a standard-free chemical analysis by energy-dispersive X-ray spectros- copy (EDX, Bruker xFlash Detector 410-11) using a Jeol JSM–6510LV scanning electron microscope (SEM) on six polished thin sections. The groundmass was studied in detail with SEM–EDX to determine nepheline or pla- gioclase occurrence. 3.3. Whole-rock geochemistry Five newly collected whole-rock samples were analysed to quantify the content of major and selected trace ele- ments. Fig. 2 View to the abandoned quarry at the WSW edge of the Stolpen Two of them (samples 15/9/3-8, 15/9/3-9) were Castle Hill with basaltic columns. The columnar jointing shows a clear analysed by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence periclinal structure. The outcrop is about 40 × 15 m in size. See Fig. 6 spectrometry (XRF) at the Institute for Geological Sci- for location.